News
Okla., Poultry Companies File Last Motions In Pollution Case
February 8, 2010 5:26 am | CommentsTULSA, Okla. (AP) — Poultry companies sued by Oklahoma in 2005 should be prohibited from allowing waste generated by birds owned, leased or otherwise controlled by them to be applied on fields in the Illinois River watershed in excess of a certain amount, the state of Oklahoma argues in a document filed Friday.
Toxic Pet Food Importers Get Probation
February 8, 2010 5:25 am | CommentsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Las Vegas-based company and its owners have been sentenced to three years probation for distributing a toxic pet food ingredient. Prosecutors in Kansas City say 43-year-old Sally Qing Miller and 57-year-old Stephen S. Miller also must pay a $5,000 fine, and their company, Chemnutra Inc.
Explorers' Century-Old Whisky Found In Antarctic
February 5, 2010 3:44 am | CommentsWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — This Scotch has been on the rocks for a century. Five crates of Scotch whisky and two of brandy have been recovered by a team restoring an Antarctic hut used more than 100 years ago by famed polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. Ice cracked some of the bottles that had been left there in 1909, but the restorers said Friday they are confident the five crates contain intact bottles "given liquid can be heard when the crates are moved.
Heinz Revamps Ketchup Packets
February 5, 2010 3:44 am | CommentsPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The ketchup packet has been around for more than 40 years, and complaints about it for nearly as long: too messy, too small, too hard to open. Now ketchup giant H.J. Heinz Co. is unveiling the first major packaging change to the to-go condiment. The new design has a base that's more like a cup for dipping and also a tear-off end for squeezing, plus it holds three times as much ketchup than a traditional packet.
Safety Board Adopts Recommendations
February 5, 2010 3:43 am | CommentsRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Federal officials voted Thursday night to adopt urgent safety recommendations in response to last year's deadly explosion at a Slim Jim snack factory in North Carolina. The U.S. Chemical Safety Board approved the recommendations Thursday night by a 2-1 vote taken following a public hearing in Raleigh.
Activists Appeal GM Corn In Mexico
February 5, 2010 3:42 am | CommentsMEXICO CITY (AP) — Capping a decade-long battle, private companies in Mexico have begun the first legal plantings of genetically modified corn, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday. Environmentalists and farm groups announced they have filed an appeal with the Inter-American Human Rights Commission, arguing the government has been unwilling or unable to halt the illicit spread of GM crops in Mexico, the birthplace of corn.
Construction Begins On New Sugar Refinery
February 5, 2010 3:41 am | CommentsGRAMERCY, La. (AP) — One of the largest sugar cane refineries in the country is scheduled to begin operations in 2011. Construction officially began Wednesday on the Louisiana Sugar Refining plant at Gramercy. The $190 million project is a joint venture between Cargill Inc., Imperial Sugar Co.
Top 3 Cadbury Officials Step Down
February 5, 2010 3:39 am | CommentsLONDON (AP) — Three top officials at Cadbury PLC announced Wednesday their intention to step down, after the British candy maker's shareholders approved Kraft Foods Inc.'s roughly $19.5 billion offer to acquire the company. Todd Stitzer would leave his post as chief executive officer, following a 27-year career at the company, Cadbury said in a statement.
Funding Awarded For Animal Health, Production Research
February 3, 2010 4:56 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (USDA) — USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced $24 million in grants to study animal heath, reproduction, breeding, genetics and nutrition. The agriculture animal industry plays a crucial role in the success and growth of the nation's economy, accounting for 42 percent of forecast U.
Tough Economy Spurs Shift To Cheaper Liquor
February 3, 2010 4:54 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Americans' love affair with top-shelf booze cooled last year as the recession took a toll on high-priced tipples. People drank more liquor but turned to cheaper brands, according to a report by an industry group. They also drank more at home and less in pricier bars and restaurants in an effort to save money.
Hope Returns To U.S. Dairy Farms
February 3, 2010 4:53 am | CommentsMILWAUKEE (AP) — Only months ago, dairy producers were slaughtering an average of 50,000 dairy cows a week because a milk glut made it impossible to sell their milk for what it cost to produce. Now, with prices improving, dairy farmers are reversing course, saying they'll produce as much milk as possible this year.
Dairy Managers Arrested In China Milk Scandal
February 3, 2010 4:52 am | CommentsBEIJING (AP) — Three dairy plant managers and one milk powder dealer in central China have been arrested for allegedly selling milk products tainted with the industrial chemical melamine, shortly after the government launched a 10-day crackdown. The chemical, which is used to manufacture plastics and fertilizer, became a household name in China in 2008, when six children died and 300,000 were sickened after drinking tainted baby formula.
Kraft Stock Upgraded After Cadbury Buy
February 3, 2010 4:46 am | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) — Kraft's successful bid for European candy maker Cadbury could put the company in a good position to benefit from both better productivity in Europe and growth in emerging markets, a UBS analyst said Wednesday. Analyst David Palmer and upgraded Kraft's stock to "Buy".
USDA Announces Food Purchases For Nutrition Programs
February 3, 2010 4:46 am | CommentsWASHINGTON (USDA) — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Friday USDA's intention to purchase $29.1 million worth of blueberry, pear, potato, peach and mixed fruit products for federal food nutrition assistance programs. "These purchases will help stabilize prices and markets, stimulate the economy, and provide high quality, nutritious food to schools and food banks while assisting blueberry, pear, potato, peach and mixed fruit producers," said Vilsack.
Cadbury Shareholders Approve Kraft Deal
February 2, 2010 8:12 am | CommentsNORTHFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Cadbury PLC shareholders have voted to approve Kraft Foods Inc.'s roughly $19.5 billion offer to acquire the British candy maker. The majority vote marks the final step in Kraft's months-long battle to acquire the company. The deal creates of the world's largest confectionary company and greatly expands Kraft's global reach.
Manufacturing Expands; Jobs Still Lag
February 2, 2010 5:05 am | CommentsNEW YORK (Reuters) — U.S. manufacturing expanded in January at its fastest pace since 2004 but consumers increased their spending only slightly in December, worried by job prospects and the state of the economy. Although the manufacturing sector has been expanding since August, the data released on Monday showed that the economic recovery is likely to be modest, especially with the jobless rate at 10 percent, an almost 26-year high.
China Launches Crackdown On Tainted Milk
February 2, 2010 5:05 am | CommentsBEIJING (Canadian Press) — China has launched a 10-day emergency crackdown on tainted milk products after several were found creeping back onto the market despite a massive scandal that sickened hundreds of thousands of children in 2008. No one knows how many tainted milk products are still on the market, a member of the country's food safety committee, Chen Junshi, was quoted as saying by the China Daily newspaper Tuesday.
Cadbury To Vote On Kraft Deal Today
February 2, 2010 5:03 am | CommentsPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Kraft Foods Inc. faces a deadline Tuesday to get the majority of Cadbury PLC shareholders to approve its $19.5 billion offer to acquire the British candy maker. Shareholders are expected to approve the deal. Kraft announced its intent to acquire the company in September, and the deal quickly turned hostile.
2010 Canadian "Salt Lick Award" Goes To...
February 2, 2010 5:03 am | CommentsOttawa ON (Canadian Stroke Network) — Two of Canada's Networks of Centres of Excellence — the Canadian Stroke Network and the Advanced Foods & Materials Network — today awarded the third annual national "Salt Lick Award" to Gerber Graduates Lil' Entrees. This choice was made because the "Chicken & Pasta Wheel Pickups" dinner serves up the sodium equivalent to two orders of medium McDonald's Fries.
IN Gov Abandons Meat Inspection Budget Cuts
February 2, 2010 5:02 am | CommentsINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The administration of Gov. Mitch Daniels backed away Monday from a plan to carve out about half of the budget for state inspections of meat processors after complaints that it would drive some plants out of business and hurt small livestock farms. The budget of the Meat and Poultry Inspection Program will be cut by less than 50 percent and some state inspectors will lose their jobs, Doug Metcalf, chief of staff for the Indiana State Board of Animal Health, told The Associated Press on Monday.
